Athlon Silver 7120U vs Core i5-4200H

Athlon Silver 7120U vs Core i5-4200H Performance Spectrum

Athlon Silver 7120U

2 / 2

3,012

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper 1950

Ryzen AI Max 390

Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i5-4200H

2 / 4

3,036

+0.8%

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Athlon Silver 7120U vs Core i5-4200H FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Athlon Silver 7120U vs Core i5-4200H: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Athlon Silver 7120U

2022

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 512W, a 497W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FT6 with DDR5 support instead of BGA1364 and older memory support.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,012 vs 3,036).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (2 MB vs 3 MB).

Core i5-4200H

2013

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (3 MB vs 2 MB).
✅300% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 4) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌3313.3% higher power demand at 512W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on BGA1364, while Athlon Silver 7120U moves to FT6 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Silver 7120U better than Core i5-4200H?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon Silver 7120U is ahead with a 0.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-4200H pulls ahead with 0.8% better PassMark. Core i5-4200H also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (3 MB vs 2 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-4200H is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.8% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads. It also has the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (3 MB vs 2 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Athlon Silver 7120U still makes the most sense overall. Athlon Silver 7120U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you a 0.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Athlon Silver 7120U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2013) and a healthier platform with FT6 and DDR5 instead of BGA1364. That gives you a healthier platform runway for motherboard, RAM, and later CPU upgrades.

Athlon Silver 7120U vs Core i5-4200H Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Athlon Silver 7120U

The Athlon Silver 7120U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FT6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 3,012 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i5-4200H

The Core i5-4200H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 October 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1364. Thermal design power (TDP): 47 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,036 points. Launch price was $257.

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Processing Power

The Athlon Silver 7120U packs 2 cores / 2 threads, matching the Core i5-4200H's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Athlon Silver 7120U versus 3.4 GHz on the Core i5-4200H — a 2.9% clock advantage for the Athlon Silver 7120U (base: 2.4 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Athlon Silver 7120U uses the Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) architecture (6 nm), while the Core i5-4200H uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Silver 7120U scores 3,012 against the Core i5-4200H's 3,036 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i5-4200H. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Athlon Silver 7120U vs 3 MB on the Core i5-4200H.

Feature	Athlon Silver 7120U	Core i5-4200H
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.5 GHz+3%	3.4 GHz
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	2.8 GHz+17%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	3 MB+50%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	512 kB
Process	6 nm-73%	22 nm
Architecture	Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	3,012	3,036
Geekbench 6 Single	—	990
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,927

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon Silver 7120U uses the FT6 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Core i5-4200H uses BGA1364 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches LPDDR5-5500 on the Athlon Silver 7120U versus DDR3L-1600 on the Core i5-4200H — the Athlon Silver 7120U supports 243.8% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-4200H supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 100% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 4 (Athlon Silver 7120U) vs 16 (Core i5-4200H) — the Core i5-4200H offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD FT6 (Athlon Silver 7120U) and HM86,HM87,QM87 (Core i5-4200H).

Feature	Athlon Silver 7120U	Core i5-4200H
Socket	FT6	BGA1364
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	LPDDR5-5500+244%	DDR3L-1600
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	32 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	4	16+300%

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Athlon Silver 7120U) / VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-4200H). Both include integrated graphics — AMD Radeon 610M (Athlon Silver 7120U) and HD Graphics 4600 (Core i5-4200H) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-4200H targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Core i5-4200H rivals Core i7-4500U.